On Thursday we went to Lexington, Kentucky, to visit Hanley's family and to watch Natasha dance in the Nutcracker.
Not a single photo was shot, maybe because we came back Friday morning and it just seemed too rushed to do much.
Friday afternoon I worked in the garden and cleaned up the last of the leaves.  Saturday, the 18th, was a little cold, but grew
quite nice, although it was pretty cold and windy on the lake.  Fall creek was very low, almost as low as I've ever
seen it.  Nothing doing with the fish so I quit early and came home and got ready for the really big event of the day,
our 40th anniversary.  We went to Mad Platter and had a very nice time.  I got Sherry some earrings with a ruby, since
this was the ruby anniversary.  Hope she takes them back and gets some she'll like.
 

Here is the happy couple, looking not a day older  than they did on December 18, 1964.	I never did get a good shot of this in the light of the room  after we got home from the Mad Platter.  Maybe I should  have used the flash to make the diamonds sparkle.
Earlier in the day I tried to fish Fall Creek.  Last week the  water was almost to the trash can on the ramp.	The cold weather had evidently killed a lot of shad since  the gulls were here in their hundreds.
That's attractor three almost on the bank.  In the  foreground you can see another attractor that has no  marker.  It will be a good one to fish later on, if I can  find it, which is doubtful.	On Sunday it stayed in the 30's so we watched the  birdies and played with our computers.  Here is the  sun setting across the river.  I marked it's direction on  the deck rail, since it is almost at the extreme southern limit of its cycle when we have the shortest day of the year and I like to know how much it varies from there to the longest day, which is are already marked there.

 

Poor little drowned mole Becky and I  saw on our Friday walk in the bottoms.  The water was off the walkways by then, but it was still soaking wet everywhere.  The River was within a foot or so of  its banks down there and would be completely over the paths if it got high enough to get to our back yard, as it  often does.	Sherry still has some flowers, but the  forecast is for cold and probably  this weekend will be the last for them.	We will miss their bright eyes and  sweet smiles.  She has had nice  little arrangements all over the house  since last spring.  The ones in the  bathrooms were especially welcome.
Pretty clusters of red and orange.  Lousy photo, though.  The wind  was blowing it around.	We have really enjoyed our lettuce.  It may  stand up to the cold for some more weeks.	The flat parsley is tough.  It'll  come back in the spring too.
Curly parsley is my favorite	The last of the cherry tomatoes  still cling to their vines.  I'll pull  them all and bring them in today  and recycle the vines.	I changed the bird feeders to try to  foil the squirrels.  Seems to work so  far.  The iron rod is lengthened by  pipes pounded into the ground.  You  can see the river is still 10 feet or so  below our back yard.

Water was at 492' (I think), anyhow, it was high.  You can see it's nearly to the top of the ramp.	This marker was only 3' out of the water.  It was  probably 15' deep here.  It was very cold and clear  so I guess a cold front had come in.  Fishing slow.
The leaks were patched in September and I took in very  little water after that, but the cold weather hardens the goop,  I guess, and the cold aluminum probably cracks easier.  At any rate, the leaks are worse now.  I forgot the bailer so  it's a good thing I wore my boots.	I caught a total of 5 crappie, not so good for three hours  fishing, but better than many a time before.  This was  the biggest at a bit over 12 inches.  Nice and fat, full  of eggs.  Most of them were.

Monday I went to the Y and worked inside, since it was raining, but on Tuesday I went to Shelby Bottoms and saw
a beautiful moon with a huge star (Venus?) between it's horns.  At various places along the path the water was
flowing over the road and crawdeads were crossing.  Why?  Don't know, but they were headed with the current,
so it is something they do for a reason.  I also scared up a blue heron at the deepest of these spots.  He was evidently waiting for the little scamps to come to him.
 

These days it's still night when I get to Shelby Bottoms.  This would make a great design for a flag, no?	I managed to get quite a good photo of this  big guy as he was making his way across the road.
One of the widest and fastest flowing of the crawdead Xings.	The poor little worms were everywhere on the  wet asphalt.  I tried to rescue this one, but they  are so slick I gave up since it seemed I was doing  more harm than good.  Besides, there were 1000's.
This handsome reddish crawdead tried to hide.	By the time I got back to the parking lot it was  dawn, but still dark and overcast.
On the way to the Y I stopped and climbed the Shelby Street  Bridge to shoot this.  The air was what you hear called "washed  clean" and crystal clear.  The wind was gusty and very strong.	The sunset was extra good from the parking garage  but I couldn't stop.  Halfway home I pulled over and  shot this view back to the east, away from the dying sun.

On Wednesday Travis and I went to Forsyth Park and she jogged while I sauntered about and took some shots.  She showed me one of the worst and one of the best houses in that area.  So many of them were unbelievably fine.  Way above our means.  Later on I went to Tybee and watched people fishing who were catching nothing.  On the piers and on the beach, it was nada.  Cool and windy and overcast and pretty high waves.  I threw a few lures in but expected what I got,  nothing.  On the way back a big storm cloud blocked the western sky and turned to rain.  I got lost again going
back, but finally made it with good directions from an Indian kid in a convenience market.

On Thanksgiving we ate with two nice kids, Jessica and Ron.  Then we all went for a walk in the park.

On Friday Travis had to work so James and Sherry and I went to Ft. McAllister State Historic Park.  This was the
site of the sinking of the  blockade runner Nashville during the late unpleasantness.   They had a long (3 mile) bird walk which was mostly walk and few birds.  Those we saw were all in one small area.  Seems strange.   The guys
fishing on the pier there were doing zilch, so I didn't even get out my gear.  We had a nice picnic lunch and went
home tired and full.

Saturday I went out to the Savannah Nature Area across the river in S.C., but the tide was out and I caught no fish,
no bites or nibbles.  Just wasn't my week for fish.  Saturday night we went to see The Nutcracker which was an excellent production in a beautiful theater.  Ate at a Japanese restaurant where I left my credit card, but they kept it
and Travis mailed it back so all was well.  Sunday we drove home and whizzed through Atlanta without a slow
down.  Monday I came down with a sore throat that got worse during the week and I stayed home from work
Friday.  Hope it is over by Monday.  And that is the story of that.

James works with my laptop to make it go right.	Strange spider webs cover the bark of this live  oak in Forsyth Park.
Little Anole hiding in the shrubs.	Beautiful and massive brick home near the park.
Another unusual house that has the neighbors up in  arms, since it is not quite in line with the norms.	Beautiful lily pond in a courtyard.
Beautiful flower blooming on the shrubs that hid the Anole.	Little sea creatures make a home on a rotting piling.
This gives a pretty good idea of what the beach was like.  Fish?  We ain't got no stinking fish!	Had to stop on the way home to shoot this storm cloud over the  wetlands between Tybee and Savannah.
Thanksgiving spread worthy of Lucullus.	On our walk after dinner we stopped in the park  to pose in front of the magnificent fountain.
Beautiful blue flower growing on a wall among  another type of plant.	Tiny orange and red flowers growing along the walk.
Sherry and James along the bird walk trail.	Fishermen giving it a try on the pier at the state park.

I got no photos of The Nutcracker or of my trip to the SC Wildlife Area.  I guess I was just photoed out!
 
 

Sunday I took my Mitchell 308 reel up to Gallatin to Flipper's Bait shop on Bull Creek on Old Hickory Lake.
Flipper is the only guy I know who still works on old classic reels, the Mitchells and the Cardinals.  He was in
Mexico the clerk said so I left the reel, but met Flipper coming in the door.  He'd been to Mazatlan (?) and just
after he got there they had a day of down pouring rain and the lake rose 10 ft!  He thought, "Oh boy, there goes
the trip."  But no, caught many bass, most over 5 lbs. and several over 10.  All on top.  Glad someone had luck.
I launched my boat by backing down the ramp and stopping suddenly so it would slide in and forget to put the
anchor (which was tied to it) on the ramp.  Everybody got a good laugh.  "You'll have to cast for it," someone
said.  So I did.  Caught the anchor rope and slowly drew it back to the ramp.  Caught zero fish with zero bites.
One of the most complete shut outs of my career.  They say there are fish in Old Hickory, but all I got was some
nice photos.
 

Old man looking for lures.  When Percy Priest is low you can  find lots of lures.  They hang up on the rocks.  See the trees  in back of him? That's where the water is at normal level.	I finally marked my cooler top in inches.  This little guy  made it almost to 12.  He got to go home, but, hey, thanks  for giving me some fun!
Sunday, on Old Hickory I saw barges off loading sand  and coal.  These are the same ones that pass our house.  Above is the David K. Wilson.  We see it a lot.	Young sycamore growing out of a crack in the  limestone cliffs.
There were a lot of these big ropes along the  bluff.  Evidently left by barges after tying up.  Seems like a poor economic and ecological policy.	The red buoy marks the channel.  In the distance  you can see the smoke stacks of the Gallatin Steam  Plant.  Channel beyond is 70 feet deep.  I had my  depth finder with me today.
These little asters were growing off  a steep cliff.	How about this for a balanced rock?

Wind in de sout, blow de bait in de fishes mout
Wind in de west, de fishing is de best
Wind in de east, de fishing is de least

Either they never got a noth wind or I forgot the verse and what it meant.  Anyhow, de East wind is always pretty
much a turn off for fishermen and fishes around here and I caught nothing much.  However, I did manage two
small crappie off the 6th attractor, so I was happy to know that the cold weather last week had done some good
and that crappie were moving in.

Sunday, I worked on disassembling the fence Betty Holt cut down and also rearranged the junk in the storage shed.
So, I was late getting going and got to the lake around two.  I had bought a can of pork and beans for the stray dog that
hangs around there.  The logic being that if he wasn't there I'd eat them myself.  No dog when I put in.  Fished attractors number one, two, four, and six and caught fish on all but number four, usually the best one.  Only five fish in all and caught each one just as soon as I got to the attractor.  I was using my fly rod with a tiny cork and a tiny jig since the lake was super clear and calm and low.  Even so they must be very skiddish since I only caught two on one attractor.  Beautiful day, only a little wind when I started and none when I quit.  Back at the ramp I gave the dog the beans.  He wouldn't eat a fish, so he wasn't too very hungry.  Let the rest of the fish go.

Heading back to the dock on Sunday with the lake so slick  and calm it was like skidding over the top of a mirror.	Back at the dock.  Still can't get over the smooth lake.
I had kept 4 fish with the idea of eating them.  I  offered the 5th to the dog, but he wasn't interested.  In the end I decided I didn't want fish bad enough to  mess with the mess when I got home.	He's a big well tempered dog and he keeps the trash  cans around the ramp turned over and trash all over the place.  I'm surprised someone hasn't taken him  home.  He howls most piteously, so maybe that's the  reason.  Too bad for him Ann isn't here. Not me.
I kept trying to get a shot of the water that showed how it  absolutely still it was.  No way, but this is close.	I had to stop to shoot this sunset on the way home.  It was  so beautiful it was spooky.

Kae was festive and quite fetching in her Barbie shoes and she and Stephen  were a nice contrast in life styles.  I didn't notice any sparks.  But who knows with tax lawyers?

Sunday I went all the way to Center Hill, late start again (had to go buy mom a spare tire since she blew out her
right front Saturday by hitting a curb--long story).  Still letting the sluice gates blast, so no fishing below the dam and didn't feel like working the river.  Went to the Fall Creek ramp and tried various things and hit pay dirt with the Zorra Puppy.  Caught two 3-4 lb. bass bam, bam, one after the other.  Both got off right at the boat, which probably means the 4 lb. line is too frail to set the hook fully beyond the barb.  Switch to 6 lb. next time.  Anyhow, quick release is fine, since you get the fun of catching the fish without the muss and slime of taking them off the hook.  Downside is no pics but who cares?

Saturday I got on Creek P near the bridge.  Looking  downstream you can see the dried moss that piles up on  the upstream side of this Sycamore.  The water was a  little high, maybe a foot above normal, and crystal clear, which may account for the absence of fish of any size.	I went upstream as far as the middle of the big hole, where the cliffs hang out over the water.  You have to wade under  them here since it's deep further out.
Always spooky and probably dangerous under the cliffs.  Pretty obvious when you look up and see all the loose  rock hanging up there above you.  But you don't think  along those lines when fishing.	Down below the bridge the current was strong and water  was a foot deep or so in places, like this one, that are  ordinarily dry.
I caught a lot of these foolish little bream on the floating  rapala, which is nuts since I had a popping bug up ahead of  it.  Caught a few on that too, but they seemed zeroed in on  the minnow imitation, even when it was as big as they were.	There was a mini waterfall downstream near the springs.  A pool formed above it and the water flows down over  the moss.  Very nice.
Some fine colors near the little waterfall.	The water was so clear you could see the rocks  and shells as if under a glass.
On the way to the ramp on Sunday I shot the sun just over  the trees.  The paddle will ride there all day if the water  is smooth like this.  It's only a little after 5 pm.	A few minutes later and the sun was much lower.  It was  so pretty and quiet with  here and there a splash where  a bass tore into a shoal of minnows.

Actually, I went fishing last weekend too.  On Saturday to Center Hill.  Went way upstream from Happy Hollow
past Mr. Judd's old place.  Had a few follows but no catches.  They were still running the big upsurge of water at
the dam to put oxygen in the water, so that was unfishable.  Quite early and came home and did lots of chores.  On
Sunday I tried the 7 points bluffs at Percy Priest fishing deep where I could see the fish, but none were taking.

Saturday this weekend I  cleaned out the garage and cleaned up the garden.  Lots of stuff that took lots of time.
Didn't fish until Sunday.  Then I went close to home.  Up Suggs creek at Percy Priest.  Beyond the old Stewarts
Ferry bridge.  It was shallow up there.  Met an old black guy who said we need a cold snap to bring the fish up
into the creek.  He probably knows.  I caught two bass at a deep place on the outside of a horseshoe bend.  It was
a place I remembered from long ago, but I could only find it with the depth finder.  Lots of staked out crappie
beds on the creek.  Will try it later when they come into the structure.

Sherry spent half the day trying to get a photo of the piliated woodpeckers that were just outside the living room
windows.  Two of them up and down the tree all day and then they would try to tap on the window.  She finally
gave up.  No film for the regular camera and she couldn't work the movie camera.  Oh well.  Later we watched the
Sycamore tree and a flicker went into their den.  Never did see them come home.

This is the Stewarts Ferry Bridge.  The road is blocked, so  there is no traffic.  Beyone you see the other fisherman I met  up there.	Under the bridge you can see the dripping on the rusted  I-beams.  Strange reflections too.
Here is the stump I remember.  The oxbow is off to the left.	One of the two bass I caught on a diving lure.
The other guy.  He was using minnows and fishing shallow.	Great sky I noticed on the interstate on the way home.

After we returned from our trip I took some photos of Sherry's  flower beds and the garden.  This is part of the bed toward  the road.	This is part of the bed near the house.
These pretty red flowers did well in the box  on the back deck.	Very pretty and artful, is the box that Daddy  built and that Mommy conceived and planted.
Poor little eggplant tried to grow all Summer.  Now that it is finally taking heart it's too late.  None of them had edible fruit.  The okra in the  background is about done for the year too.  Next  week I'll pick the last of the butterbeans and pull  up the plants.  The okra and cherry tomatoes too  unless they are showing a little more life than now.	We do have some new lettuce and very good it is,  too.  The Swiss Chard, however, almost all failed to  sprout.  Only two or three plants made it.  Plant  sooner next year!  I'm trying to decide now whether to plant garlic this  year or to rest the garden and restore it with compost  and mulch.  Stay tuned.

Saturday.  Went to Percy Priest on a cloudy day that threatened rain.  Put in a Cook' access to see what was
up that way near the dam.  Found my way to Frank's point and had good luck with bass in the jumps there.
Caught 8, mostly small, mixed largemouth and smallmouth.  Lost one good one at the boat and another
took the dropper, a wooly bugger.  Caught most of the fish on the dropper, not the plug.  They like a small
lure, evidently.  This may account for our lack of success earlier.

Sunday.  Went all the way to Center Hill to fish below the dam and they were running the water in a way
that created huge waves and I had taken the small motor.  Thought the grease job I gave it had fixed it, but
it's still messed up.  Result--I came home and switched motors and went back to Percy Priest.  Cool and
clear day.  No luck at all at Frank's point or on top water.  Caught one smallmouth on a diving lure.  Lost
a really big one who broke my 6# line.  Still, a pretty bad day.  I'm in the middle of the Preservation Foundation
story contest now and have many stories to post and read and judge, so this must end.  I took a lot of photos of
Sherry's flowers and meant to post them.  Later, I hope.

It was cloudy and windy Saturday, but I caught 8 bass  on topwater.  They like the clouds, evidently.	Sunday was bright and not too much wind.  Not too  many fish either.  One, to be exact.
Here's one of the few bass that took the spook  lure.  Most took the wooly bugger on a drop line  ahead of it.	Sunday this is the only taker on a diving lure.  No top water hits at all.
This huge cauldron of upthrust water makes it nearly  impossible to fish below the dam at Center Hill.  It is  supposed to be adding oxygen to the water and may last  for two more weeks, according to an old guy I asked.  (Even older than me, or maybe he had a hard life.)	This pile of dead vines and leaves is all that's left of  my string beans.  They were excellent.
Just as predicted, the eggplant is coming on  now that the weather has cooled.  But is it  in time to make fruit?  We will see.	The butterbeans are straining my trellis system  to the limit.  I'll pick some more soon.

Saturday.  I worked hard on the garden in the morning.  I picked the Blue Lake string beans for the last time and
took down the trellises and the vines.  Picked the first batch of butter beans, and we will have some tonight
(Sunday). After the chores I went over to Percy Priest at 7 points to Frank's point and fished the Zara Puppy for
the fish in the jumps.  Caught three and saw a lot of them, some of which looked large as they jumped clear of
the water.

Sunday.  I tried Sycamore creek for a while, but the bass weren't interested and I found no good holes
upstream from Highway 45.  After that I went back to PP to the point and saw a heron up close but the fish
were only jumping a little and nothing I had interested them.  Came home early and helped Mom get the
Sunnymeade kitchen light fixture up for the inspector tomorrow.  Whoopee.  Maybe it will sell and be gone!

Here's one of the three bass I caught.  All about 12 inches.  Saw some bigger ones.  One old timer said they were  Kentucky Bass, but they look like standard large mough to me.  When Frank and I fished here we saw the jumps but never  caught one, so we had no idea what they were.	Did you know a great blue heron could swim like this?  I had never seen one do it until today.  He flew out to  where the fish were tearing up the minnows and just  settled down.  Probably getting wounded minnows.
Sunday.  This little creek chub got aggressive but the bass  did not at Sycamore creek.  I caught several little pumpkin  seed bream as well, but nothing bigger.	It's early in the fall, but the leaves are falling fast.  They  look very pretty in the water, but make it hard to fish.
Mr. Blue Heron didn't seem to mind me sharing  his favorite fishing spot on Percy Priest.  I hope he  had better luck than me.  The only action I got was  losing a diving plug and two salmon flies.	These little asther grow all along the path down to  Frank's point.  I still haven't got a decent photo of  them.  It's always windy along the path and they  are always moving.